Germany cracking down on false father schemes with migrants

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's Interior Ministry says a new law will help prevent German men make a profit by registering as the fathers of babies born to foreign women to get the children citizenship.

The ministry said Tuesday that measures soon coming into effect will address the "long-standing" problem by making such a practice a civil offense. Immigration officials can nullify children's citizenship if the paternity claim is found to be an abuse of the system.

The comments came after Berlin's RBB broadcaster reported authorities are looking into 700 such cases in the capital alone.

It reported that some mothers-to-be, often on tourist visas, paid men up to 5,000 euros ($5,600) to register as the legal father, making the baby a German citizen and giving the mother the right to stay.